Claude Code Token Optimization 2026: 5 Strategies That Cut Your API Bill by 60-90%

TL;DR — The root cause of Claude Code expenses isn't model cost but repeated context transmission, defaulting to Opus, and uncapped extended thinking. Combining prompt caching (cached tokens cost 90% less), model tiering (Haiku for simple tasks, Sonnet for standard work, Opus for complex problems), context hygiene (lean CLAUDE.md + /compact + skills), thinking budget controls, and hooks preprocessing plus sub-agent delegation can reduce bills to 10-40% of origina